The Los Angeles Dodgers came back from behind to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in an 11-inning Game 7, securing back-to-back World Series titles, becoming the first team to do so since the New York Yankees (1998–2000).

After a classic World Series and a nail-biting Game 7, there was no doubt who should have won the MVP honors. The 27-year-old Japanese ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, was named World Series MVP.

Moments before the Los Angeles lifted the trophy, manager Dave Roberts emphatically declared, “Yamamoto is the GOAT!”

Yamamoto’s historic Fall Classic performance made him the 14th pitcher ever to win three games in a single World Series. He pitched 17 2/3 innings in four appearances against Toronto, allowing just two earned runs on 10 hits, striking out 15, and walking only two, finishing with a staggering 1.09 ERA. Yamamoto’s mastery included a complete-game four-hitter in Game 2, the first World Series complete game since 2015, and a six-inning effort in Game 6, where he gave up one run on five hits with six strikeouts.

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In the championship-deciding Game 7, Yamamoto entered in relief during the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the score tied at 4-4. Over 2 2/3 scoreless innings, he allowed only a walk and one hit while striking out one. He closed the 10th inning in order and forced a game-ending double play in the 11th to clinch the Dodgers’ victory. This outing gave him three wins in the series, complementing his exceptional starts earlier in the postseason.

Including a win in Game 2 of last year’s World Series against the Yankees, Yamamoto is now 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in four Fall Classic appearances.

The Dodgers overcame a 4-2 deficit in Game 7 thanks to clutch contributions from Miguel Rojas, who tied the game 4-4 in the ninth with a solo homer, and Will Smith, who smacked the game-winning shot in the 11th inning.

Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette provided notable resistance, but Yamamoto’s pitching kept the Blue Jays from completing a comeback.